Contribution hike may change Escondido campaigns

ESCONDIDO - Depending on whom you ask, Escondido's decision to
double campaign-contribution limits this year is either:

a long-overdue change that will help candidates get their
messages to more voters,

or a big mistake that will discourage ordinary residents from
seeking City Council seats.

Supporters contend that increasing the maximum contribution from
$250 to $500 is necessary to help candidates afford newspaper ads
and direct-mail campaigns, which have increased dramatically in
cost since the $250 limit was established in 1983.

They say local politics will become more robust when candidates
can afford to tell a greater number of voters what issues are
important to the city, and precisely where they stand on those
issues.

Critics say the change will give developers and corporations
greater influence at City Hall because they can afford to give $500
more easily than the average citizen who wants to support a
candidate.

They also warn that the increase could make races in Escondido
more like those in Oceanside, where the absence of contribution
limits has pushed the cost of running for City Council into the
neighborhood of $100,000, nearly four times what it typically costs
in Escondido.

Faced with raising such sums, residents who are not wealthy or
well-connected will be less inclined to seek office, critics
say.

Fighting inflation

Concerns about scaring off upstart candidates were raised by
Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler and Councilwoman Marie Waldron in
September, when the council approved the new limits in a 3-2
vote.

But Councilmen Sam Abed, Ed Gallo and Dick Daniels said the
increase was needed to keep up with inflation.

Using the consumer price index, Abed said that $500 in 2008
would have almost exactly the same buying power that $250 had in
1983.

And to avoid future problems with inflation, the council agreed
to increase contribution limits every two years based on increases
in the price index.

Gallo and Abed, who are running for re-election this year, said
last week that the change was all about getting information to
voters.

"If I can raise an extra $5,000, then I can get my message out
there better," said Abed. "And the same is true for all the
candidates."

Gallo also contends that Escondido's new contribution limit is
not "out of line" when compared to other North County cities.

Poway uses a $100 limit, Encinitas and San Marcos use $250,
Vista uses $390 and there are essentially no limits in Carlsbad and
Oceanside.

Gallo also said it would be foolish to assume that most
contributors will immediately double their contributions because of
the change.

"Not everybody wants to give that much, so I don't see the
increase being all that significant," said Gallo. "It just gives
candidates more flexibility when someone wants to give a little
more."

Mary Azevedo, a prominent North County political consultant,
said the increase is great news for Escondido voters.

"This will give candidates the money they need to really talk to
their constituents," said Azevedo, contending that walking
door-to-door is an outdated approach to campaigning. "It's
difficult to reach people without direct mail."

Escondido has 144,000 residents living in 46,000 houses, condos,
apartments and mobile homes in the city, according to recent Census
Bureau estimates.

Azevedo said the extra money will allow candidates to send
mailers to a wider swath of voters, not just registered voters or
likely voters. The increase will not make Escondido politics
similar to those in Oceanside, she said, but such a change would
not necessarily be so bad.

"I don't see where contributions have reached a dangerous level
in Oceanside," said Azevedo. "Allowing people to give more money
helps the viable candidates separate themselves from others in the
race."

Scaring off upstarts

But critics worry that the higher limits will make it nearly
impossible for lower-income residents and those with no experience
raising money to challenge well-funded incumbents.

Olga Diaz, a previous council candidate who has already
announced that she will challenge Abed and Gallo this year, said
last week that the change will be a deterrent to political
newcomers.

"It seems likely that they've raised the price of running for
City Council in Escondido to $40,000 or $50,000 instead of $25,000,
which was a number that was seemingly attainable," Diaz said. "This
will discourage people with no experience from running."

Waldron, who said the $250 limit has allowed her to raise plenty
of money during her council races, said the increase will probably
change the character of Escondido elections.

"Local elections should maintain that very local kind of
participation," said Waldron. "Higher limits allow you to build a
campaign with fewer supporters, and they make it less likely that
the average person will participate in the process."

Decreasing citizen participation in politics is one of the worst
things a city can do, and increasing contribution limits typically
reduces participation, said Kathy Feng, executive director of
California Common Cause, a liberal lobbying group.

"In a city the size of Escondido, it's still possible for a
candidate to use human contact to get their message out," said
Feng. "The lower the contribution limit, the more likely it is that
candidates will seek to meet people directly."

Feng said greater reliance on direct mail is part of a
disturbing statewide trend of candidates having less and less
personal contact with people.

Jerry Harmon, a former Escondido mayor, said last week that the
change will divide council candidates into two very distinct camps:
Those who take money from out-of-town developers and those who only
take money from ordinary citizens.

"What was wrong with keeping the playing field as level as it
has been?" said Harmon. "This will allow 'money' candidates to
out-shout candidates that take positions that favor the environment
and ordinary people. It's not a good idea to let them shout louder
and louder."

Developer influence

The specter of developers giving money to candidates so their
projects get approved is frequently cited by critics of higher
contribution limits, and San Marcos City Councilman Mike Preston
said it actually happened in his city.

When San Marcos raised contributions from $250 to $3,000 during
the 2002 election, Preston said developers were literally handing
out large checks to certain candidates, making it virtually
impossible for other candidates to compete.

But Gallo and Abed said nothing similar is on the horizon in
Escondido.

"Voters in Escondido are too smart for someone to buy an
election," said Abed.

Gallo said the risk of developers having too much influence on
Escondido politics is reduced by Proposition S, a voter-approved
anti-growth measure that limits development. That measure, which
was approved by city voters in 1998, was strongly supported by
Harmon.

He also said that campaign contribution disclosures and the
relatively low limits in Escondido make it extremely unlikely that
developers will gain control of City Hall.

"I'm not going to sell my soul for $500," said Gallo. "My
reputation is worth more than that."